Morning Medical Update: How Many Steps a Day Keep the Grim Reaper at Bay?; After A Century Of Upswing, American IQs May Be Falling Again; Proposal to expand Medicaid to undocumented immigrants

How Many Steps a Day Keep the Grim Reaper at Bay?

Taking 8,000 steps or more just twice a week is linked to a lower risk of death, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open. “In an era where physical inactivity is a widespread epidemic, new and simpler approaches to physical activity guidance, such as step-based goals, may be more attractive and motivating for the public,” said James Sawalla Guseh, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and Jose Figueroa, MD, MPH, of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, in a news release.

After A Century Of Upswing, American IQs May Be Falling Again

In the last century, American IQs rose 30 points. Now, research shows American IQs may be dropping. The areas of concern are logic, vocabulary, problem solving, and analogies. Experts think that the reason for this decline is the rise in WIFI, smartphones, and now AI. “We’re all getting super lazy in our cognition because it’s getting super easy to do everything,” said Ruth Karpinski, a California psychologist, in an article.

Proposal to expand Medicaid to undocumented immigrants

If passed, Senate Bill 419 would extend Medicaid benefits to undocumented immigrants. It has drawn criticism from Republican lawmakers. State Sen. Fabian Doñate (D-Las Vegas) says hospitals are already allowed to bill Medicaid when treating undocumented immigrants. In theory, SB 419 would provide preventative care, eliminating the need for costly hospital visits.